NICHOLAS V, POPE. — NICHOLAS V, POPE. — Tommaso Parentucelli, b. at Sarzana on 15 Nov. 1397, d. at Rome on 24 March 1455. While in the service of Bishop N. Albergati at Bologna, he accompanied him on missions abroad, to Rome and Florence; after Albergati’s death, Eugenius IV, then at Florence, appointed him vice-camerlengo, and on 22 Nov. 1444 bishop of Bologna, where, the city being in revolt, he was unable to take possession. Sent twice to Germany by the Pope, on his return from the second mission, in Dec. 1446, he received the cardinal’s hat in reward for having reconciled with the Pope the League of the Elector Princes. In the conclave after the death of Pope Eugenius, on the third day he was unexpectedly elected by the 24 cardinals present, on account of his gentle character, exemplary life, and diplomatic experience; in gratitude to his protector, he took the name of Nicholas.
During his not long pontificate he was chiefly concerned to extinguish the last embers of the schism, already much reduced, to maintain peace, especially in the Papal States, and finally to succour Constantinople. By concessions he obtained the resignation of the antipope Felix V of Basle (7 Apr. 1449) in the Council then refugee at Lausanne, and the last 25 fathers dispersed. Already on 19 Jan. 1449 Nicholas V had proclaimed the Jubilee for Christmas, which had a great success; during the year he canonized St. Bernardino of Siena, so popular in Italy (d. 1445); the year was marred by the plague which raged in the summer. He promoted the reform of ecclesiastical life, especially in Germany, by visits of Cardinal Cusanus and St. John of Capistrano. He maintained peace in his State by removing the condottieri, especially Sforza, by repurchasing Jesi, confirming many lords in their fiefs, pardoning the Savelli, the Orsini, the Colonna, granting wide autonomy to Bologna and to Rome; he paid the debts of his predecessor. On 16 March 1452 he crowned Frederick III of Austria Roman Emperor.
A painful episode for Nicholas V was the conspiracy of Stefano Porcaro, whom he had so generously pardoned, and it grieved him that the humanists showed regret at his execution. Nicholas V sought to succour Constantinople, but the failure of the union of the Churches, the Italian and European wars made all his efforts vain. After the fall of the city, he tried in a congress at Rome to pacify Italy, but in vain. In the last two years his activity was much diminished by gout, which carried him off in 1455: he is buried in the Vatican Grottoes. Nicholas V was the initiator of papal patronage of letters and the arts; at his death he left no less than 807 Latin codices collected throughout Europe; he planned the renewal of the Leonine City and its fortification against the frequent revolts of Rome: the rebuilding of St. Peter’s in conformity with the new artistic tendencies; in the city he restored streets, aqueducts and monuments; death cut short almost all these great projects.
See pl. CXVI.